An antique bowl flaring narrowly from a small foot hailing from the Seto tradition enclosed in an age darkened kiri-wood box titled Ki-Seto O Chawan. A note on the side states the piece was received from the honorable Mr. Mito. It is a superb example of the pure rustic simplicity of the mid Edo Tea aesthetic. The bowl is 10 cm (4 inches) diameter, 6.3 cm (2-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
The Mito clan was a branch of the Tokugawa warlords based in Mito, Ibaraki prefecture. Following the establishment of the Shogunate in 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu appointed his eleventh son, Tokugawa Yorifusa, as Daimyo of Mito in 1610. With his appointment, Yorifusa became the founding member of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa lineage. Along with the Tokugawa branches in Kii and Owari, the Mito branch represented one of three Tokugawa houses known as the Gosanke ("three honorable houses of the Tokugawa"). Although the Mito branch held less land and wealth than either of the other two branches, they maintained considerable influence throughout the Edo period. So much so in fact that many people unofficially considered the Mito Daimyo to be "vice-shōgun" Mito Domain's proximity to the capital in Edo was a contributing factor to this power. The treasures of the Mito branch are kept in The Tokugawa Museum.
